After the Second World
War, Canada faced a shortage
of farm labour, a shortage
soon alleviated by Dutch
farmers anxious to start life
anew. In 1947, Dutch farmers
and their families began to
take advantage of the new
Netherlands-Canadian
Settlement Scheme, a program

that admitted experienced
Dutch farmers to this country
on condition that they work
for one year as labourers for
the Canadian farmers who
sponsored them. As the first
Dutch settlers became
established and in turn
sponsored their relatives,
immigration from the

Netherlands tripled during
the early 1950s, facilitated
by changes in immigration
regulations that also invited
individuals with business,
technical or professional
training and experience to
Canada.
This Community Memories
exhibit focuses on the lives

of Dutch immigrants who
settled in Prince Edward
County, Ontario between 1947
and 1960. Their first hand
accounts also give life to
the experiences of earlier
settlers whose voices were
not recorded.